The Best All-Season Tires of 2023: Review and Buyer’s Guide

The Best All-Season Tires of 2023: Review and Buyer’s Guide

The all-season category refers to tires designed to provide performance and versatility year-round. These tires are ideal for drivers who intend to put their vehicles through the paces in any weather. While not suitable for every climate, all-season tires provide a lot of value in terms of maintenance costs and fuel efficiency. 

Every all-season tire on the market has unique characteristics. Some handle snow better, while others improve on steering response and feel. They also differ in size, tread pattern, load capacity, and shock absorption. With all these differences and the numerous models and brands, it can be overwhelming to pick the best ones. 

That is why the experts at Trail Tire have selected the best all-season tires and created this guide to help you compare tires from leading brands like Michelin, Bridgestone, BFGoodrich, Continental, and others. You will undoubtedly find a tire that meets your specifications.

Michelin Defender T+H

Best all-season tire overall

The Michelin Defender T+H is one of the best-selling and most sought-after all-season tires. It provides owners of coupes, family sedans, minivans, and crossovers with long-lasting performance and a comfortable drive, as well as all-season traction in dry, wet, and light snow.

Michelin provides good hydroplaning resistance to the Defender T+H by increasing the friction force between the wheel and the road. Furthermore, the Defender T+H’s effective dry handling and braking on dry tarmac will give you peace of mind on the road.

Overall, the Defender T+H is a dependable option that ensures your safety while also improving your vehicle’s performance in wet or dry conditions. In addition, Michelin backs up the implementation of this tire with an 80,000-mile warranty.

Pros

• Excellent resistance to hydroplaning
• Solid handling and braking on dry tarmac
• Impressive wet-surface traction

Cons

• Poor handling of snow
• Moderate noise

BFGoodrich Advantage T/A Sport LT

Best all-season tire for SUVs and light trucks 

From impressive summer braking to outstanding cornering on ice, the Advantage T/A Sport LT is a tire that provides an enjoyable ride for SUVs and pickup truck drivers.

The tire wears out evenly thanks to BFGoodrich’s advanced all-weather tread compound, allowing easy rotation and resisting irregular wear.

The ribbed tread design provides increased handling and steering in all weather conditions. This tire also excels in wet traction and is backed by a 70,000-mile treadwear warranty.

Pros

• Superb handling and cornering capabilities
• Reasonably priced

Cons

• Poor snow performance

The Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack 

For a smooth and quiet ride

The Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack is an excellent all-season touring tire designed for use on popular cars and sedans. It has excellent dry and wet road grip, excellent winter traction, and a quiet ride.

The tire was designed with Bridgestone’s exclusive QuietTrack Technology, precisely tuned to reduce high-frequency noise and ensure a quieter ride. The Turanza QuietTrack is available in H and V speed ratings, with an 80,000-mile treadwear warranty.

Continental ExtremeContact DWS06

Best high-performance all-season tire

The Continental ExtremeContact DWS (Dry, Wet, Snow) 06 Plus is undoubtedly one of the best-performing HP all-season tires on the market. It provides excellent braking and cornering performance and improved steering response and feels on any road surface.  

Continental equips the DWS 06 with Macro-Blocks, bevelled edges, and the 3D groove design to improve traction and braking on slippery roads and steep terrains.

The DWS 06 will turn heads thanks to its cutting-edge design, which provides an aesthetically pleasing sidewall. Continental rounds out the package with a 50,000-mile tread warranty.

Pros

Pros

• Superior handling in all conditions
• Hydroplane resistance, improving performance in the rain
• The tread design offers a quiet driving experience

You can also consider the following:

• Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4
• Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+

General AltiMAX RT43

Best all-season tire for snow

The General AltiMAX RT43 was created for drivers looking for an all-season tire that will perform well on light snow-covered surfaces at a reasonable price.

It has General Tire’s Anti-Slip Sipe Design Technology, which ensures increased traction by biting down the tire’s edges on wet pavement. Furthermore, the Twin Cushion Silica Tread Compound (used on the outside) provides AltiMAX RT43 with long-lasting tread life. It comes with a 75,000-mile treadwear warranty.

Pros

• Excellent ride comfort and low noise output
• Outstanding performance on wet and snowy roads 
• Even long-lasting treadwear
• Budget-friendly

Hankook Kinergy PT

Best value for your money

The Hankook Kinergy PT offers solid wet and dry performance, a comfortable ride, and a long tread life at an affordable price. Hankook backs it with an 80,000-mile treadwear warranty.

Pros

• Excellent performance in wet and snow conditions
• Enhanced handling and durability
• Improved braking performance

Cons

• Noisy at highway speeds

Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max

Best for fuel efficiency

The Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max offers all-season dependability as well as significant gas-station savings. This all-season tire has a unique tread compound that improves fuel efficiency and reduces energy consumption.

Other notable features of the Assurance Fuel Max include inboard and outboard Dry Tread Zones that improve handling in dry conditions and a central Wet Tread Zone with Dual Aqua Channel Grooves. The latter two features improve hydroplaning resistance and driver control on wet roads.

Goodyear backs this tire with a 65,000-mile tread life warranty.

Continental TrueContact Tour

Best all-season tire for tread life and durability

The Continental TrueContact Tour is known for its solid traction and long-lasting tread wear. EcoPlus technology improves the tire’s traction and stopping distances on wet pavement, enhancing grip on snow-covered roads.

TrueContact Tour tires are also fairly quiet. All you can hear while driving is a faint humming. 

Pros

• Extra-long tread life 
• Smooth and quiet ride.  
• Remarkable fuel economy
• Affordable 

Buying Guide: What should you look for in an all-season tire?

To get the most out of any tire purchase, consider these aspects:

• Tread Pattern

Tread patterns affect how a tire performs under different conditions. When selecting tires, check whether they have a symmetrical, asymmetrical, or unidirectional tread pattern. 

Symmetrical tread patterns are long-lasting and allow for even wear due to the groove patterns.

Asymmetrical patterns are more versatile and adaptable. They provide a more durable grip at higher speeds.

Unidirectional patterns are designed to move in a single direction. Avoid all-season tires with this pattern as they limit their adaptability and require frequent rotations.

• Size

When shopping for any tire, you should know what size you are looking for. You can check your owner’s manual, seek the advice of a tire professional, or use an online tire size calculator to determine which tires will fit your vehicle. 

• Load Range

A tire’s load range indicates how much weight it can support. A letter ranging from A to F represents this number on the sidewall.

Your tire’s load range should be greater than the weight of your vehicle. If your tires have less than the required load capacity, they may be damaged. On the other hand, greater load capacity means that the tire’s weight will increase, affecting the car’s stability and performance.

• UTQG

UTQG is the abbreviation for Uniform Tire Quality Grading. The ratings are given as a three-digit number and two-letter grades, such as 540 AA, where:

540 is the tread wear rating, which shows a tire’s durability. The higher the number, the longer the tire will last.

AA is the traction and temperature rating, respectively. Traction grades are given as AA, A, B, and C, with AA being the highest and C the lowest. Temperatures are graded from A to C, with A being the highest.

Best All-Season FAQs

• What is the lifespan of all-season tires?

The longevity and durability of an all-season depend on how well it is cared for. It can last 30,000 to 90,000 miles with proper tire rotation, pressure, and care.

• Can I use all-season tires in winter?

All-season tires are only useful during the summer, spring, and fall seasons. Using them in the winter, especially in areas with heavy snowfall, can be hazardous as they lose traction when the temperature falls below seven degrees. For better control at this temperature, choose winter or all-weather tires with a 3PMSF rating.

• What is the difference between all-season and all-weather tires?

The primary difference between all-weather and all-season tires is their performance in wet weather and tread depths. All-weather tires have deeper tread blocks than all-season tires and perform better in winter.

• What are the best all-season tire brands in Canada?  

Michelin, Pirelli, Goodyear, Bridgestone, and Yokohama are well-known brands that sell all-season tires.